Device for preserving paintbrushes



Oct. 6, 1953 H. B. HYAMS DEVICE FOR PRESERVING PAINTBRUSHES Filed Feb. 20, 1950 INVENTOR. I

HERBERT 5 HYAMS VBYMM Patented Oct. 6, 1953 DEVICE FOR .PRESERVING PAINTBRUSHES Herbert B. Hyams, St. Paul, Minn., assignor to Atlas Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Application February 20, 1950, Serial No. 145,230

2 Claims. (Cl. 220-85) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in devices for preserving the bristles of paint brushes between periods of use, and

whereby the bristles may be maintained soft and pliable indefinitely.

It is well known that when a paint brush has been used, the brush must be thoroughly cleaned of all paint before the brush is put away, or the brush must be inserted into a suitable preserving liquid or oil such as linseed oil, turpentine, or. a mixture of the two, or kerosene, or any other liquid preservative suitable for the purpose, which does not readily evaporate, and which will maintain the bristles in their normal state so far as possible.

Numerous attempts have been made to provide devices of diflerent types for thus preserving paint brushes when not in use, but to the best of my knowledge, none of these have proven entirely satisfactory. It is therefore highlydesirable that a container of this type be provided whereby a painter or person, when he has completed a job of painting, may simply place his brush, after removing the surplus paint therefrom, into the novel device herein disclosed, whereby the brush may be preserved in its normal condition indefinitely.

An object of the present invention therefore is to provide a device for preserving and maintaining paint brushes after they have been used, comprising a container having means whereby a used paint brush may readily and conveniently be suspended within the container with the bottom end of its bristles spaced from the bottom of the container to allow the color pigment contained in the bristles to gradually drop from the bristles into the bottom of the container whereby the bristles may be comparatively clean and free of surplus pigment when the brush is removed. from the device for reuse.

A further object of the invention is to provide a brush holder attachment for a conventional container comprising an annular member adapted to be fitted into the mouth of the container and having a brush supporting element detachably supported thereon to which the handle of the brush may readily be attached so that when said element is returned to its normal position on the annular member, the bristles of the brush will be positioned within the container or bucket with its bristles submerged in a suitable liquid preservative contained therein, and whereby the bristles of the brush may be maintained soft and pliable until the brush is again to be used.

A further and more specific object of the invention is to provide a brush holder attachment for a container comprising an annular member or collar having a depending annular flange adapted to be fitted'into the mouth of the container, and a horizontally outwardly projecting flange being integrally formed with said depending flange adapted to engage the top edge of the container and cooperating with said depending flange to secure the attachment in position on the container, and means being provided on diametrically opposed sides of said member adapted to detachably receive an elongated element receivable in apertures provided in the handles of one or more brushes, whereby said brushes may be supported within the container with their bristles submerged'in a preservative liquid contained in the container, the apertures in the brush handles being so located with respect to the bottomsof the brushes or their bristles that when the brushesare suspended in the container, the bottoms of their bristles will be spaced upwardlyfrom the bottom of the container a distance sufficient to allow the pigment contained I in the bristles to gradually the bottom of the containe drain therefrom into Other objects of the invention reside in the simple and inexpensive construction of the attachrnent whereby it may be manufactured in quantity production at very low cost; in the provision of such a device of this general type having a hinged closure seated upon the upper horizontal flange of the annular member of the attachment to thereby protect the brush and liquid preservative from exposure to the air, and to prevent dust and other foreign matter from contaminating the contents of the holder and also whereby evaporation of the liquid preservative is reduced to a minimum.

These and other objects of the invention and the means for their attainment will be more apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings there has been disclosed a structure designed to carry out the various'objects of the invention, but it is to be understood that the invention is not confined to the exact features shown, as various changes may be made within the scope of the claims which follow.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view showing a container with the invention mounted thereon and a brush supported within the container;

Figure 2 is a perspective'view of the container showing the closure in closed position;

Figure '3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the closure open;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the attachment showing its simplicity; and

T Figure 5 is a view showing the attachment fitted to the open top of a conventional paint can.

In the selected embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, there is illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3, for purposes of disclosure, a convenhaving a horizontally dispo'sf adapted to be seated upon solvent for the pigment or coloring matte? "of T the paint retained in the bristles after use, whereby the bristles may be substantially "free bf color pigment when the brush is again to be used.

As best illustrated in Figures 1 and 4, the hotel attachment herein disclosed comprises an annular I'membe'r, generally'designated by "the numer'al '6, comprising a depending v"fiar'ige T adapted to be fitted into the mouth of the container and 'd' flanged extendu per end thereof ing outwardly from the r r I I the top edge of "the container, as illustrated. The fiahg'e's 'ifar'id 8 may be integrally formed from a'sihgleblank of sheet steel or they may be otherwise formedwi'thout departing from the scope of the invention.

The upper horizontal flange '8 preferably has its outer marginal edge turned upwardly, as indicated at 9, to prevent any liquid, which be deposited thereon from acting evertrieeage thereof. In other words, the her-12mm ifiahget .is so formed that any liquid thathiay drop thereonto will drain into the container, as will be imderstood. v, r T I Another importantfeature of the 'mvehubn resides in the means provided on the annular member 6 for detachably supporting the brushes thereon, and whereby they maybe readily and conveniently placed in the container for safe keeping when a given-paint job has been completed, and whereby the and conveniently be removed from the device when it is again to be used, with the assurance the brush wil1 be soft and pliable and ready for immediate use. In some instances it may be found advisable to rinse the bristles in a cleaning liquid before again using the br-ush, particularly if the brush is to be used for applying a relatively lighter colored .paint than was previously applied therewith.

As best illustrated Figure '4, the annular member 6 is provided with diametrically opposed inwardly extending projections or lips igl which are radially recessed. The recesses in the .two projections or lips are longit -icl-iirially aligned whereby a brush supporting element or red i2 may have its ends supported therein, as clearly illustrated in Figures 1 and 3.

To support one or more brushes on the rod 12, each brush has a hole 13 drilled in its-handle. These holes are spaced upwardly from thebottom edge IA of the bristles, a predetermined distance, determined by the height of the can and the size *of each particular brush. -In other words, the

spacing between the'aperture 1-3 in the brush. handle and the bottom "end 14 of "the bristles should be less than the distance from the :rod 12 to the bottom wall of the container, whereby the bristles are spacedupw'ardly from the bottom wall a distance sufficient to permit the color pigment in the bristles to readily :drai-n therefrom into the bottom of the container, whereby the bristles may be substantially free ,and 'clear of color pigment when the brush :is :again to be used. A suitable closure l5, preferably dome shaped,

brush-may as readily L vertical flange 1 of the jrne foregoing can and having as shown in the drawings so as to accommodate the upwardly extending brush handles, is shown pivoted at IE to the annular member 6, whereby the cover may seat upon the flange 8 to enclose and completely conceal the brushes, as will be understood by reference to Figure l. port'ant that the bristles be supported in such a manner that they do not contact the bottom wall of thlco'nt'ain'er, otherwise the pigment will accumulate at the bottom edge M of the bristles which may "necessitate spending considerable time in cleaning the brush when next to be used, even though the bristles may be soft and pliable.

'In Figure 5 the invention is shown applied to the open top of a conventional paint can II, the mouth of which is defined by thejinveited head 18 of the horizontal wall portion 19 of the can, which construction is we'll'k'nown in the art. The attaclnnent is adapted to be detachably fittedirrto the mouth of the paint can, as shown, whereby such a can may readily be c(inverted into a brush holder for preserv'ing'and retainingthe bristles of apaint brush "soft and pliable "between periods of use, so that the brush will always be ready for use.

The invention extremely simple and inexpeflsiV- and may f'adlly be formed in mass 131T)- I (11161710151 by Suitable dies and forming equipment at very 'low cost. It is preferably madeof sheet may, in some instances,

pa e, I

detailed'dscriptlon has been given for learness of u'nders'tahdingonlm'and no unnecessary limitations should be understood theretrom, but

the appended claims should be construed as broadly as permissible in view of the prio'r art,

it claim as myinvention; V

,1. The combination with a paint can having an open top provided with inwardly extending annular portion defining the mouth of the means for receiving .a suitable closure, of .a brush holdingattachment for the open top of the pa-i-nt can comprising an annulus adapted to be seated upon the inwardly extending annular portion of the paint can and :having 31 depending portion frictionally engaged therewith to operatively secure the attachment to the paint can, a brush :holder element :removablysupported on said annulus and traversing the mouth of the paint :can whereby a paint brush engaged with said element may depend onto the paint can with its bristles submerged in a preservative liquid ccntained'therein, and a closure hinged to :said annulus for enclosing the open top :of the paint can and the paint brush depending from said element 2; .An attachment according to claim 1, wherein the brush holder eleme t is in the form of an elongated rod, and aligned recesses are provided in said annulus for receiving the terminals of "the brush holder element to prevent accidental displacement of .said element thereon.

' References "Cited in the -file 0f this "patent UNITED "STATES PATENTS It is im- 

